Page 64 of The Duke's Bride in Disguise
"Wait there," Ava shouted again, afraid that the girl would bolt.
She lifted the hem of her skirts, darting in between the carriages and carts, as she attempted to reach the other side of the road; she probably would have made it safely across, if a familiar voice had not shouted out her name.
"Ava?" Boris Hobbs, her former employer, stood just a few feet away from Georgiana, staring at her incredulously, "Is that you?"
In shock at seeing Boris—who would certainly unveil her true identity to the world—Ava took a step backwards, right into the path of an oncoming carriage.
"Ava."
"Emily."
She heard two voices shout in horror, and then everything went black.
Ava blinked against the light that was tickling her eyelids, stirring her from her dreamless slumber. In annoyance, she threw her hand over her eyes to cover them from the irritating light, but while that blocked the light somewhat, it also brought a new sensation; noise.
Whisper, whisper whisper.
Against her overwhelming instinct to sleep, Ava's ears pricked at the distant sound of people talking, struggling to discern what was being said.
"Look, she's moving."
"Such a hard blow—she'll have a headache for weeks."
"It's a miracle she survived it..."
Slowly, Ava's mind began to process the words she was hearing and the sharp pain at the back of her skull, until after a few minutes she began to remember what had happened.
Georgiana. Boris. The accident.
"Lud," she croaked, as she struggled to sit up; panic made her movements jerky, which in turn sent a shooting pain through her head.
Ava blinked her eyes open, despite the pain it caused, and found a roomful of people staring at her nervously.
"What happened?" she asked in a raspy voice, her eyes resting on Mary, who sat nearest to the bed. "Is Georgiana safe?"
"Hush, my lady," Mary cried, rushing forward to straighten the pillows behind Ava's head, "Lady Georgiana is fine as fivepence—it's you we're all worried about. You took a nasty bang to the head, though luckily Dr Philips said you've no broken bones."
"Really?" Ava replied weakly; it certainly did not feel like that—every bone in her body ached. "I feel like I've been hit by a carriage," she joked weakly, though rather than laughing, Mary burst into great, heaving sobs.
"You could have died," Mary wailed, dabbing at her eyes, "How sad it would have been, when you and Lady Emily had only just—"
"Mary!"
Ava, despite her pounding head, managed to cut across the lady's maid before she babbled Ava's secret to the room. She sat up on her elbows, causing Mary to rush forth and once again fuss at the pillows behind her, until at last Ava was seated upright and able to survey the room.
Three pairs of eyes looked back at her; Mary's, a man whom Ava presumed to be Dr Philips, and Lady Georgiana—who looked petrified.
"How is my patient?" Dr Philips asked, striding forward to peer down at Ava through thick, wire-rimmed spectacles.
"Just a slight headache," Ava replied quietly.
"'Tis to be expected," the doctor gave a shrug, "I'll away and tell your father that you've woken."
"Lady Emily," Georgiana said,once they were alone, her eyes rimmed red from tears, "How sorry I am, for causing so much trouble. I simply wished to lose myself in watching the actors rehearse—I did not think it would cause so much fuss."
"Don't be sorry," Ava protested, "I'm just glad that you are safe. Tell, me Georgiana, what happened?"
